| Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless-B Cable/DSL Router |
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Model: BEFW11S4
Brand: Linksys
Manufacturer: Linksys
Average Rating: 
(submit your review here)
Total Reviews: 1079
Platforms: Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 3.5, Windows NT 4, Windows NT 5, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000 Server, Windows
Operating system: None
Form factor: External
Hardware platform: PC
Data link protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b
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| Features: |
Connects to a broadband modem, a 10/100 Ethernet backbone, or wireless network
Long wireless operating range supports 300 feet indoors and 1,500 feet outdoors
Provides roaming, best access-point selection, load balancing, and network traffic filtering
Configurable through your networked PC's Web browser
Can act as a DHCP server for your existing network |
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| Description: |
| The Linksys BEFW11S4 is your all-in-one networking device This wireless router features support for the 802.11b protocol, which lets you wirelessly access your network and the Internet from up to 800 feet (outside), or 300 feet (inside) away |
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| User Reviews (1079 total): |
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Low quality networking solution for low budget., November 25, 2006
By user (Old South)
I initially chose this router because of its low price. Sometimes, you get what you pay for, and that is exactly what happened to me. As a wired router, this works well enough. It connects four computers to the internet. Just don't do anything to intense with it, and you should be fine. I noticed that when I view video media, the connection totally freezes. But for basic internet and downloading, it works.
I generally find, however, that no one buys a "wireless" router not to use wireless, and that is where the problem is. The receiver is so painfully finicky, it does not keep connections. The configuration of this router is about as easy as brain surgery. The linksys support team tries to be helpful, but I can't seem to make this router reliable. It drops reception all the time. Many times my laptop won't even detect a signal. The wireless performance of this router is abysmal.
I sincerely hope that if you have this router, it is working flawlessly for you. I can't get it to work well for me not matter what I do. The difficulty that I am having with this equipment is so bad that I am going to replace it as soon as I can.
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Reliable, low price, but a bit slow., October 9, 2006
By user (Wilsonville, Oregon USA)
I have been using this for 2 years. It was as easy to set up as any other wireless router I have used, such as those from US Robotics. I have 2 computers linked directly to the router by Ethernet, and two by WiFi. I also use the router to link into a Vonage Linksys RT31P2 router used to support 2 VOIP phones.
One of the WiFi computers uses WIN 98, all others run Windows XP. I have never experienced problems with laptops accessing the WiFi system. All have used XP.
The Internet connection comes via COMCAST cable, using a Linksys cable modem.
One computer is 60' and 2 walls away, at ground level. I usually get a 5.5 Mbyte/sec connection.
The other remote computer is upstairs, about 40' away, but usually only manages 2 Mbyte/sec. I previously used a US Robotics WiFi router that was faster with the upstairs machine and vice versa. So in a given location the individual quirks of a particular router's antenna can make quite a difference, but I do not know any way to predict this, you just have to try the router in your own home and see how it works.
The actual data transmission speeds you get are quite a bit lower, especially if you use 128 bit encryption, which is way slower than 64 bit.
I can not comment on the tech support of Linksys, as so far I have never needed it.
I have had to restart the router, perhaps 2-3 times per year.
The default channel is 6, and the default name is Linksys. It is worth changing these, as otherwise there is a fair chance your neighbors will use the default channels and you will suffer from interference.
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No problems with mine..., August 20, 2006
By user (Atlanta)
A lot of hateful reviews on here. Hopefully I can offset this a little..
I've had this wireless router for about 3 or 4 years and never really had a problem.. I've left it powered on 24/7/365 and maybe had to cycle the power on it once a year.
At this time I have 2 laptops that use wireless connections to it, a pc that is plugged in, and my Xbox 360 that is also plugged in to it.. No problems..
Linksys has some great tools on their website that configured my wireless laptop connections, so I never had to call support for help with that.. The only time I had to call for support, was when my Xbox 360 was having difficulty networking in to my PCs for media. This turned out to be an issue with McAfee Privacy Director, and had nothing at all to do with my Linksys router..
I've thought about updating to the G series router when seeing it in stores, but then asked myself why, when I have no issues with the B series..
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Good in theory... major issues in practice, August 19, 2006
By user (Dayton, Ohio, USA)
I've been using my BEFW11S4 for a few months now. The little thing has its good points - a nice, unobtrusive little box I can just plug in and hide on top of some piece of office furniture, allowing my rather over-laptop-equipped household some nice convenient net access, while still allowing the home office systems a wired connection.
Sounds nice, if it only worked. Howver, BEFW11S4 has a MAJOR problem, and a rather common one at that. Specifically, it locks up. It does so frequently. I have to unplug the router at least once a day, and frequently twice, to deal with it locking up. Can't even access the administrator screen, and even hitting the reset button isn't enough to fix it. Wireless isn't too useful when you have to physically walk to the unit multiple times a day, is it?
The problem seems to lie not in the hardware, but in the firmware (the software that runs on the router). If Linksys would release reliable firmware for this router, I'd give it 4-5 stars. But until they resolve the issue that wires down their wireless modem, I can't possibly justify giving the BEFW11S4 more then two stars.
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A load of rubbish, July 31, 2006
By user (UK)
Wish I had read these reviews. Couldn't get it to work at all and the customer support (sic) was useless! Taking it back tomorrow
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Questionable reliability, lacking interface, July 31, 2006
By user (Rochester, NY)
This product functioned well for about 3 years when it cost about 3 to 4 times what it costs now. Unfortunately, the all the connections had been so unreliable that we bought a new (ethernet only) router, despite performing several power cycles and days of troubleshooting.
We bought a basic Linksys ethernet router and hooked the wireless up to it with the hope that they would connect with each other easily and at least the wired computers would be able to connect reliably. It worked, but only after days of troubleshooting. Ultimately we had to set static IP addresses for each of the computers, play around with the TCP/IP protocols on the computers, set the uploaded router's IP address to a different number than what was instructed on the Linksys website, and dealt with other nitpicky problems such as setting one router to DCHP and the other to static and setting all the correct variables. (Apparently Linksys thinks its consumers are willing to understand the difference between an IP address, subnet, gateway, DNS, DHCP routing and static routing.) This problem was so difficult it required the work of two graduates from the Rochester Institute of Technology (one of whom is solely responsible for a retail website whose biggest customer is Microsoft) and a Software Engineer. Individuals with only basic computer backgrounds will have a much more difficult time!
My only other complaint is with the interface. The Linksys support staff insist that it's easy to use, but I can promise you that it is not. It provides explanations that are virtually meaningless even to advanced users.
If you're looking for a reliable, easy to use product, this ain't it. But if you're shopping for the cheapest product or if you have extensive networking experience, then this may be a steal for you.
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DON'T BUY A LINKSYS ROUTER IF YOU HAVE A MAC COMPUTER, July 26, 2006
By user (New York, NY USA)
I bought this router and spent almost two hours online with Linksys. After trying every sort of suggestion and speaking with three different tech support people who barely spoke English I finally understood that Linksys has "limited support for Macs." When I asked what "limited support" means, I was told "we are not trained to help people with a Mac. If you can borrow a windows PC we can help you". What a waste of time. I am sending the router back. Beware if you have a Mac.
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An incredible waste of money AND time., July 25, 2006
By user
I am returning this router tomorrow. Not only is the setup completely non-functional, getting someone on the telephone from technical "support" that actually speaks English is completely impossible. I just hope that I can keep from smashing the thing with a hammer until I can return it tomorrow. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR YOUR TIME ON THIS PRODUCT!
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Worst. Product. Ever., July 14, 2006
By user
Quite possibly the worst piece of electronics I've ever owned. All the previous reviews here sum it up. I normally embrace technology with open arms and try to calmly work my through problems and learn from them, but this is the first time I have simply wanted to pull an Office Space on something. I'm not exactly IT savvy and though all the problems I was having with it constantly dropping my connection were my fault or my ISP's fault, but now I know it really is the router. Comcast almost charged me for making them come out to try to fix something that they had no business trying to fix, but did I know that? No. And of course Linksys' tech support is no help, as every time I called with the same issue on the same case #, they gave me the exact same advice. That's the definition of stupidity, isn't it?: doing the same thing twice and expecting change. Ugh. The only reason this isn't in the bottom of the trash can in pieces is because my roommate refuses to give up her wireless "convenience." C'est la vie.
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Not worth owning!!, July 10, 2006
By user (Connecticut)
I purchased this router in April 2006 along with a brand new computer. The installation process was very easy. From the first day I owned the computer, it would crash for no known reason. The error report indicated that a driver from recently installed software was causing the problem. After two months of lost connections, not being able to connect at all, and slow connections, I threw the router away. I purchased another Linksys router which was more expensive. Since I have installed the new router, my computer has not crashed, my internet connection is extremely fast and I have never lost a connection. Don't waste your money on this router; it will only cause frustration. Spend the extra money on a more reliable unit.
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East Coast Closeout, July 8, 2006
By user (Glen Cove, NY)
I was very pleased w/the speedy service that they provided me, although it was a little touch & go with the whole router/cable modem/pc setup process, I am happy to report that the router works fantastically with no problems at all. I would recommend this seller to others.
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Easy to use, if and when it works., July 4, 2006
By user (Singapore)
I got this router to go wireless at home with my two PC's and a laptop. It was good for the first six months. Setup and configuration was a breeze, kudos to the linksys guys for the easy to use interface. After six months it started dropping connections now and then. If I left it on overnight I simply couldn't find it on the network in the morning, and I had to pull out the plug and power it on again to get it working.
After 9-10 months it would simply not appear on the network. That was remedied by uploading the latest firmware. Just after the warranty expired, it would not assign DHCP addresses. A power cycle every 1-2 hours took care of that.
I could make the router hang almost 100% of the time if I used windows media player to view streaming media off the net. This was repeatable with any computer I connected to the router.
After 15 months of use it became so bad I had to revert to static IP addresses, DHCP simply wouldn't work. Now whenever a new PC appears on my network and tries connecting out, the router hangs. The only solution is to have all PC's on, and then switch on the router. It worked fine after that.
It became so frustrating that I dismantled my wireless network, installed a 25 foot CAT-5e cable to my bedroom, a simple 4-port switch and connected my machines to that. For a while this worked, but even without wireless, I would see the router going down every couple of hours, DHCP failing, etc. In the end I junked the router, and got myself a cheap taiwanese wired router, which has worked fine to this day.
No more linksys home networking products for me.
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Is there a good router?, June 6, 2006
By user (Carrollton, GA)
I've had this router for about a year and a half. About a year into it I lost the ability to DHCP. Later it came back. Now it just drops the connection unless you go static in which case you lose about half of your packets.
I have the latest firmware, so there's no excuse. Another reviewer mentioned that someone said they were having firmware issues. That was a few months ago. Totally unacceptable. I will never again buy a LinkSys or Cisco product.
The only reason I've given this hunk of junk two stars is that the configuration is easy and still functional enough to setup some port filters (five ranges). Although, I wish you could filter a lot more.
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I guess its life is one year, while during the year, it still does not work ver ywell, April 26, 2006
By user (NYC)
I shouldn't complain. I got this item for free due to a really special discount. I got it one year ago, and it has some very weird setup that stops me from watching movies online. It is fine; I don't need to watch it every day. Exactly one year later, it starts to break down. Now I need to restart the router every 30 minutes.
This product comes with a customer service e-mail. However,when I tried to contact them ,all I received are two auto-reply e-mail and customer service questionaire. In their auto-replies, they keep telling me a tech person will contact me shortly, which is 1 month ago.
The deal may be nice, but don't waste time I that. That's my advise.
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excellent, April 25, 2006
By user (Boston, MA United States)
really great, I've had it constantly running 24/7 for three years, sure have to restart it ocasionally, but it's been running for three years straight and it's been working beautifully 99.9% of the time. You're cable service will screw up more often than this thing will.
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Finally gave up, April 11, 2006
By user (Toledo, Oh United States)
I had to finally give up on this router. I have tried updating the firmware, reverting to old firmware and everything in between. I was having to reboot the modem almost daily to maintain an internet connection. And, having gone to VOIP phone, my home phone system was only as good as the router, which was to say poor.
I bought on sale a Netgear wbr-1310 802.11g and have had no problems whatsoever. It has run almost continually now for over a month and I have never been forced to reset it to regain a connection. Apparently Linksys is having firmware issues on several models (that's what the best buy guy said).
I do like the linksys setup software and their setup menus for controlling the router, but the performance was just not up to snuff.
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Drops Internet Connection Frequently, March 27, 2006
By user
I've had this router for 6 months now and have spent countless hours/days/weeks/months trying to fix an intermittent Internet connection loss both on the PC to which it is hard-wired and a wireless connected PC. Power recycling corrects the problem temporarily, but in another 2-4 days one of the PCs loses connection again. I have tried reconfiguring varous ways, e.g., static addresses, dynamic addresses, etc. to no avail.
So, how is it when it operates correctly? Fine on the hard-wired PC; however, the speed on the wireless connected PC is less than half the speed of the hard-wired one. Unfortunately that machine is Window 98 and needs a B-wireless unit.
Bottomline: its better than nothing and does the job for my little 2-PC network. BUT, I would not buy this for any SERIOUS network.
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5 Stars if you don't mind rebooting once a week, March 25, 2006
By user (Michigan)
I'm keeping this review short and sweet.
1. Set up ease was 9 out of 10. It was ALMOST plug and play. User is given two setup choices: manually follow a set of instructions or use the easy setup CD. Definitely use the CD. The router started working almost immediately after a couple of configuration settings.
2. Speed seems fine...actually it works as fast as my old wired Linksys Router with Comcast broadband.
3. Only drawback: I lose my internet connection on average of once a week. The router must be rebooted by shuting down first the cable modem, then the router then turning them back on. Takes about 4-5 minutes. This is a small nuisance I didn't have with the wired Linksys router.
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Good when it worked properly 3 years ago, March 24, 2006
By user
Probably just from wear & tear, but as I said it worked well three years ago when I first brought it. However I just recently replaced it with the Linksys WRT54GL because this started to drop the connection too often for me to deal with. I would have to unplug the thing 3 or 4 times before I could get internet to the other PC's in my home. G is faster then B these days so the BEFW11S4 isn't needed anymore.
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one word: NICE, March 19, 2006
By user (Mobile, AL USA)
I purchase the wireless router for my home and i could say without a doubt, it is the best purchase i have ever made to go with my laostops.
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